


ColonelxDemon- 100 Theme Challenge

by Mega_Erofan



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: 100 Themes Challenge, Beginnings, Drama, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Light Romance, Love Confessions, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Pre-Relationship, Romance, Secret Crush, Shakespearean Sonnets, Supernatural Elements, hints to other couples, revenge gone bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 06:31:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2259513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mega_Erofan/pseuds/Mega_Erofan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I started this challenge on my DeviantArt account already but I figured I might as well post it here too just for the heck of it. Colonel needs a bit of loving and I offer it in the form of a demonic humanoid who loves pranks, is a bit outspoken, and is well-known for being the most bull-headed cadet of the Maverick Hunters. Hilarity will ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When he is called to the scene of a Maverick attack by one of his officers, Colonel thinks nothing of it until he discovers the reason he was called-the girl lying at the feet of one of his officers but she seems like something more. She must be if she is causing his circuits to pulse out of rhythm upon laying eyes on her, right?

**Beginnings**

Colonel sighs under his breath as he crosses what looks to be the remains of an old factory, which is now nothing more than piles of rubble inside a building with dozens of large holes that were left by the blasters blazing in the battle between a Maverick Hunter troop and a small group of Mavericks. He has no idea why he was called here. The place seems secured and the Mavericks that ambushed the troop were eliminated, so why was he being called out here?

“Colonel,” The named turns his attention to the voice calling to him, finding his Army Captain, Slash Beast, approaching him. “I apologize for any inconvenience this has been to you but I thought it would be better if you saw this yourself.”

“Saw what?” Colonel asks.

Slash Beast gestures for the other to follow him and guides him out of the building, speaking as they make their way to a small group of soldiers. “While we were shifting through the fallen reploids, we found something that we can barely understand ourselves.” He explains.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll see.”

The two make their way through the wall of soldiers and Colonel discovers what the men were gathered around: a strange, young woman. Her snow white hair fans out behind her head and looks to fall no further than her shoulders and her bangs are messily brushed to the side to cover her right eye. Her clothes, a forest green, long-sleeved shirt and black jeans with a checkerboard pattern on the left calf and a chain hanging out of the right pocket, are tattered, scorched, and stained in red oil in some places. Her boots, looking to be military issues, are caked with a dirt-oil mixture. She was obviously shot at during the fight judging by the distinct burns but she did not remain still during most of the battle. Colonel kneels beside the girl and brushes the bangs covering the right side of her face, revealing her nearly flawless features as well as signs that she was involved in the battle: a large cut on her cheek and a large bruise above her right eye along with several bruises on her face and neck and abrasions prominent on her neck and any place that had been exposed through the tattered shirt.

“We found her like this, along with some of the equipment she was carrying.”

Colonel turns to inquire about the latter part of the statement when he is presented with two objects by the Captain: a set of saber daggers and a pistol blaster. Both look brand new and both were obviously from the Maverick Hunters as the symbol of the Maverick Hunters one both weapons. He takes one of the daggers and examines it. The color scheme matches the girl, dark green and white, and the weapon has red stains on it as well. He looks at the girl and notices her hands and the bottom halves of her sleeves are heavily stained with red oil.

“We also found these on her.”

Colonel glances to his side, finding a strange armor module of some kind and a Maverick Hunter communicator in Slash Beast’s hand. The officer sets the dagger down and takes the two items, one in each hand, and looks closely at the armor module. It is in a shape similar to a butterfly, is green, white, and black in color, and the bit in the middle that looks to resemble a head of some kind looks to be shaped like a demon head with long bits shaped like horns and a sharp, triangular face. He then looks at the communicator, a small black and green device with the Maverick Hunter logo on it, recognizing it from the many others he has seen carried by various Maverick Hunters in varying color schemes.

“So she’s a member of the Maverick Hunters?” Colonel inquires. “What’s so strange about that? You reported saying a troop of Hunters was ambushed by some Mavericks, so why call me down here for one in specific?”

“Because she’s not your typical Maverick Hunter,” Slash Beast explains. “Not only is she the sole survivor of this attack…she isn’t exactly a reploid.” Colonel shoots the Captain a confused glance as the other continues. “We scanned her for her vitals shortly after we found her. She’s very much alive and equally so organic. She’s a human, a very tough one to remain in one piece after such a destructive battle where even the reploid Hunters were left in pieces.”

“A human Maverick Hunter?” Colonel murmurs as he returns his gaze to the girl then looks at the communicator again. “Do you know who she is?”

“Without any numbers or any form of identification, we can’t search the database for her.” Slash Beast states. “That’s why I called you down here.”

“You want me to decide what to do with her?” Colonel inquires, looking up at Slash Beast, who merely nods in response. He sighs and returns his attention to the girl, wondering himself what to do with her. She obviously is a Hunter with all this equipment and the fact she was at this abandoned factory where a group of patrolling Hunters was ambushed by a group of Mavericks and participated in the said ambush with a blaster blazing and dual daggers on hand. What else would make sense other than the fact she was a Hunter herself? He sighs heavily then, after handing the items back to Slash Beast, carefully picks the girl up. She shifts in his arms until she curls up against him, murmuring softly under her breath as she nuzzles against him.

“Sir…”

“We’re taking her back to the base.” Colonel states as he turns to his Captain. “We’ll contact the Hunters and let them know we have one of their own in our care.”

“Yes sir.”

Colonel turns and makes his way back through the factory to the waiting ship he arrived in, Slash Beast following. He glances at the girl in his arms once more and allows himself a soft smile. Something about this girl was indeed different but in a way that could not be seen or scanned for. She was special but in what way even Colonel did not understand. All he knew was that he _wanted_ to bring her back to the Repliforce base, if only to keep her close, to find out who she is, and to figure out why she is conjuring this fuzzy warmth in him that seems so foreign but...so right.

It was hard for Colonel to concentrate over the next few hours after returning to the Repliforce base. He would constantly check on the girl and ask for her recovery status and even stayed at her bedside through the night to ensure she would not wake without someone nearby. One night became three days with no signs of waking from the girl or any way to identify her. The Hunters had been contacted once the girl was settled in the infirmary but the earliest a high-ranked member could arrive to the base to bring her back was a week. Colonel did not mind though, it would give him enough time to figure out who the girl was himself and find a way to identify her.

On the fourth night of the girl’s recovery, Colonel finds himself at her bedside again, examining the armor module found on the girl. He is not familiar with this bit of technology and could only assume it is an experimental device made for the human recruit as a means of carrying a portable version of the armor built into the systems of the reploid Hunters. After much examination of the device, he finds something earlier hidden from him the first time he looked at the small bit of metal. On the back of one of the wing-like appendages, he finds a series of numbers engraved near the crevice where the wing melds with the pentagonal base of the module. It looks to be an identification number, like the ones the Hunter reploids had embedded into their systems to help in identifying their remains. Curious, he walks to one of the computers in the infirmary and puts the number in the database. He is surprised by the profile that comes up, a full body hologram of the girl along with a bit of text displaying next to her. The piece of information that catches Colonel’s eye first is the name.

“Demon...” He murmurs under his breath as he reads the name aloud. “So you are a Maverick Hunter.” He quietly chuckles. “Wonder when they started recruiting humans?”

He takes a seat at the station and begins to read over the profile, slowly unraveling what little of this woman’s past the Hunters knew before her arrival at their base. Between the vague history given in her profile and the varying bits hidden away in the Maverick Hunters’ data banks, Colonel could only conclude a few things.

Demon was not a human at all and was defined on her profile as a “demonic humanoid” which was further explained by the notes hidden in her file. She was a supernatural being from some unknown part of hell that was given a second chance at life but ended up in the cross hairs of some Mavericks due to a “wrong place, wrong time” situation, which is how she met the Maverick Hunters. She has an alternate form she calls her “true form”, the demonic body which holds all of her demonic powers and her thirst for human blood. Despite this, she posed no other threat to the human populace because she could control her hunger and was left to roam free. A few months later, she was recruited into the cadet program and has since been serving the Hunters alongside another human cadet, a girl named Haley Wily. She had been a cadet for a few months at the time she was found, almost a year if her enlistment date was correct. Her current rank was Cadet-Private First Class and her skills included dual wielding saber daggers, blaster pistols, and something described vaugely as “spy disposal”.

“Impatient one, aren’t you?” Colonel is spooked by the voice and turns, surprised by the bright green eye staring at him from the bed halfway across the infirmary with a smug, fanged grin below it. “But I suppose your bulb isn’t completely dim since you found my ID number on my armor module, so you have _that_ going for you.” Demon states as she pushes herself out of bed and gimps over to the reploid, ruffling her hair then brushing her wild bangs over her right eye. “Who exactly are you to be snooping through my files? You look like a high-ranked officer but looks can be deceiving. I know that better than anyone else.”

“You certainly are sharper than I thought you would be.” Colonel chuckles as he stands and turns to the young girl then salutes her. “I’m Colonel of the Repliforce, ma’am.”

“Repliforce? You mean that second reploid army Dr. Cain developed as a fail-safe because of Sigma? _That_ Repliforce?” Demon asks then smirks. “Well, I guess that explains quite a bit. This place doesn’t exactly smell familiar to me, so I assumed I was taken by a surviving Maverick but this changes everything.” She crosses her arms as she looks Colonel in the eye, only then realizing the large reploid before her was well over twice her size. “And I’m going to assume that since you were thumbing through my files, you know who I am already but we might as well make things official.” She lazily salutes Colonel in return. “Private First Class Demon, sir. Now mind explaining to me what the hell happened after I got knocked out in battle. My memory is a bit fuzzy from the right hook the last Maverick I took out gave me. I blasted his head components all over the factory floor in return, so I think we’re even.”

“Maybe you should lie back down for now.” Colonel suggests. “I can explain everything tomorrow once you get some rest.”

“Well, judging by the date on the computer you’re using, I’ve been ‘resting’ for almost four days now.” Demon argues. “I would rather know what happened between me blacking out and me waking up here before I try to settle in, even if I'm at an ally base.”

“I guess I can't blame you there.” Colonel sighs. “I'm not sure about the battle itself but one of our troops patrolling the sector near the ambush site found the ruined factory and the remains of the Mavericks and what we assume was your patrol troop. You were the only survivor and my men didn't know how to identify you, so they called on me to decide what to do with you. We brought you back here to recover until someone from the Hunter base can come get you.”

“And they haven't sent someone yet?” Demon gasps, more to herself than to the reploid. “Guess Haley's busy on another mission with her dad or they would've sent her.”

“You mean your partner?” Colonel asks.

“I wouldn't call her that.” Demon chuckles. “We're partnered up, yes, but she prefers to go on missions with her father despite her still being a cadet. She usually fills in for her father's original partner and I'm assuming that's the case since she wasn't sent to get me.” She crosses her arms as her gaze falls to the floor. “She only deals with me because no one else will.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I'd rather not talk about it.” Demon quietly murmurs, turning and shuffling back to the bed she rose from.

Colonel, more worried than curious, quickly follows the snow-haired girl to her bed. “It can't be that bad. According to the reports I've read, you're quite the exceptional Hunter.”

“Yeah, that's only when I'm out and about on Hunter business.” Demon huffs as she sits on the bed of the bed. “It's when I'm off-duty that people can't stand to be around me.”

“And why would that be?” Colonel asks, sitting on the bed beside Demon.

Demon lightly glares at the other from the corner of her eye. “Don't try to pretend like you care or something. I don't fall for the sympathy trick like that. I'm not a complete sucker.”

“I know you're not.” Colonel states. “According to what I've read, you're one of the more bull-headed cadets they've had. Highly opinionated, a class clown, and a mischievous spirit like any demonic human would be.” The snow-haired girl turns to Colonel, seeming surprised by something he said. “What? Did I say something to offend you?”

“No, it's just...” Demon glances away, mumbling under her breath before looking back at the reploid. “No one's ever called me what I truly am before. They hear demonic and they assume calling me a demon is alright, or a ghoul, I've even been called a beast of hell. Nobody's ever called me by what I am. It just...surprised me that you did.”

“Well, I read about all the other things you've been described as but I honestly can't say I believe them until I've gotten to know you myself.” Colonel explains. “To read about somebody is one thing but to actually talk to them and learn about them through that is entirely different.”

Demon, thoroughly amazed by the response, simply smiles as she runs her fingers through her bangs. “Glad to see not everyone is so easy to judge character from rumors but I doubt you really wanna know about me. I'm nothing special.”

“Considering you're one of two of the only non-reploid members of the Maverick Hunters, are a species I never knew existed until now, and survived a Maverick ambush when all the other reploid members of your troop were decimated, you are special, more than you realize.” Colonel states, wrapping an arm around Demon. “And I wanna try and know exactly how you managed to pull all that off without losing something in the process.”

Demon chuckles loudly and looks up at Colonel with a proud, mischievous glint in her eye. “Well...allow me to start from the beginning.”

 


	2. Demon's Little Prank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Demon pulls a small prank on her partner to help her loosen up after training, the other tries to return the favor with not-so-favorable results.

“Demon!”

The shrill shriek was all too common to hear at the base as the snow-haired girl charges from the training area and darts through the maze of corridors within the Maverick Hunter base, shouting her insincere comments as she weaves by cadets and officers.

“Pardon me! Excuse me! Make way! Fleeing for my life here! Move it!”

She stumbles when she reaches one of the vacant bedrooms in the barracks corridor and ducks inside, leaning against the door and listening as the sound of running footsteps echoes down the hallway. They stop in front of the door and she holds her breath, hoping the one on the other side would not think to look in here.

Haley Wily fumes as she scans the halls for signs of the white-haired fiend she calls a partner, having lost sight of her in a crowd of cadets before stopping at this tri-section of hallways. The reason for her sudden fit of rage towards Demon was obvious as her once bright, blonde hair was now a bright cerulean blue, a result of Demon's most recent attempt of a light prank on her to help her loosen up. However, her reaction was not what Demon expected as the blonde chased her out of the training room in a fit of rage, threatening to do everything in her power to get payback against the other.

“Where is she?” She growls under her breath as her eyes dart between each corridor. “I swear, when I get my hands one her, I'll...”

“Haley!” The blonde sharply turns to who is calling her name, finding Zero had been chasing after her and tries to calm herself as the red Hunter approaches her. “You're getting faster, I'll give you that much but you gotta calm down.”

“Sorry, father.” Haley murmurs, breathing deeply as she begins to relax. “But you know that this,” She grabs the end of her bright blue hair, shaking the end of it as she continues. “This is a step too far even for Demon. It'll take me weeks to wash this stuff out. I let her get away with her last few tricks because they were harmless but this is not funny.”

“You know Demon has a different sense of humor, Haley.” Zero argues. “That's no reason to try and rip her throat out. At least it's not permanent.”

“That doesn't matter!” Haley snaps. “I'd hate to admit it but Demon's about reach a point with me where I'm about to ask for a new partner. She's out of control and even _I_ can't fix it. She needs to learn some self-control for once in her fucking life.”

“And you weren't the same way when you were younger?” Zero inquires. Haley attempts to respond but finds herself unable to speak as she retreats to her thoughts. “You weren't exactly perfect when you first became a cadet either. You had your days where I had to practically drag you to our training sessions. Dr. Cain always wondered why I dealt with you and the only reason I could give was because someone needed to give you one. If I gave up on you as easily as you're about to give up on Demon, do you think you'd be half the Hunter you are now?” Haley's eyes fall shamefully as Zero crosses his arms. “I thought so. Now report to the Navigators, Staci has a mission for you. It might give you a chance to clear your head and think about a few things before you try to talk to Demon again. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Haley murmurs as she timidly salutes the older Hunter then quickly makes her way to the Navigator room.

Demon sighs in relief and slides down the door to sit on the floor. “Guess I am a bit out of control.” She quietly states to herself. “Maybe a bit of self control wouldn't hurt too much. I did go a bit too far with this and she's tolerated me so far when everyone else just turned away.” She hugs her knees to her chest and rests her head on her knees. “Maybe I'm too much of a clown to be considered a Hunter to anyone.”

-One Week Later-

“Are you sure about this brother?” Iris asks as the two make their way into the Maverick Hunter base. “I mean, I know you were worried about her before but that was two months ago. I'm sure she's perfectly fine.”

“I just want to be sure.” Colonel sighs. “There are still some things I need to figure out and talking to her is the best way to do it. Besides, I think it's about time you met her yourself.”

“From what I've heard, she doesn't sound that bad.” Iris states as the two continue further into the base. “A bit of a clown maybe but completely innocent otherwise.”

“Iris? Colonel?” The two turn to find Zero and Haley approaching them from the training room at the end of the corridor. “Funny seeing you two here.”

“Greetings, Zero, and pleasure to see you again, Haley.” Colonel chuckles, just then noticing Haley's faded blue hair. “Did you get into something? Last time I saw you, you were as blonde as Zero here.”

Haley flusters as she groans under her breath. “This was Demon's latest idea of a lighthearted prank on me” she mutters “and I still don't find it funny.”

“Demon decided to slip some dye into Haley's shampoo during training.” Zero explains. “When she came out of the locker room like this, we all knew right away who was to blame. She chased her halfway across the base before losing her. She's calmed down a bit since but Demon's not completely forgiven yet.”

“Speaking of which, where is Demon?” Colonel asks. “I wanted to come and check up on her.”

“Why?” Haley inquires. “It's been almost two months since she was in the care of your forces. She's been perfectly fine, so why come all this way just to see her?”

“You obviously know her too well to understand some of the questions I still have about her.” Colonel states. “I'd much rather talk to her about my concerns.”

“Fine by me,” Haley sighs. “As long as she and I aren't in the same room until this dye is completely gone.”

“Colonel?” The named reploid glances up, softly smiling as the snow-haired girl approaches from the training room, pulling her hair into a high ponytail. “What are you doing here?” Demon asks, obviously surprised by the other's sudden visit. “Haven't heard from you in over a month.”

“I got busy with a few things but I wanted to come and check up on you.” Colonel explains.

Demon looks away with a light chuckle, a faint blush on her cheeks as she does but pulls herself together as she looks back at the reploid. “That's okay, it's nice you came all this way just for lil' old me.” She then notices Iris standing next to Colonel and weaves around Zero to get a closer look at her. “Who's this you brought with you?”

“I'm Iris, Colonel's little sister.” Iris states, holding out a hand to Demon. “It's nice to finally meet you, Demon. Brother's told me a lot about you.”

“Trust me, you won't be happy to know her once you've _really_ gotten to know her.” Haley adds.

Demon nervously grins as she takes the hand and shakes it. “Nice to meet you too, Iris.”

“Good, now that you two have met, is there a place we can speak privately, Demon?” Colonel requests. “I have a few things to ask you about.”

“Sure, follow me.” Demon says as she walks by the two, Colonel soon following after her. “Cya later, Iris.”

Iris giggles as she watches the two walk away. “She seems nice enough and my brother certainly likes her. I'm not sure what the problem is with her.”

“You don't know her like we do.” Haley states, leaning against the wall as she watches the two walk away as well. “Trust me on that.”

“You're just still sore about her prank.” Zero says, walking up beside Iris. “You need to forgive her eventually.”

“I know, father. Just give it a bit.” Haley chuckles with an evil smirk.

“What are you talking about?” Zero inquires, giving his daughter a curious glance.

Haley does not respond as she watches the two make their way to Demon's room. “That's right, ladies first, Demon.” She chuckles in her thoughts as the two reach the door, reading their movements as Colonel offers for Demon to enter first as the door opens. Demon looks down nervously as she moves to enter the room, noticing as she steps into the room that one of her shoes is untied and kneels quickly to tie it, just barely missing the blast of rainbow powder that explodes from the room. Her smirk drops as the dust clears. “Oh...fuck...”

Demon, having only been grazed along her back by what she assumes was a blast of air, stands up and looks around to find rainbow powder all over the hall. “What the...” are her only words as she turns to Colonel, surprised when she discovers the reploid covered head-to-toe in a variety of colors. She glances down the hallway at Haley as the blonde shamefully shuffles back, only to collide with one of the Hunter officers that had just witnessed the scene. She looks back at Colonel as he wipes the dusty rainbow residue of his face and looks down at her. She tries to say something, in hopes that the other would not think this was a prank planned out by her, but is instead surprised by the loud laughter of the other. “C-Colonel?” She manages to stutter.

“Well, I never thought you to set something up like this.” The reploid chuckles as he brushes the powder from his shoulders. “And to set it up in your own room as well, that's something I'd never expect out of you, Demon.”

“But I didn't...”

“It's alright, no harm in pulling pranks like this. It's just powder.” Colonel continues, slipping his hat off to clean it off, revealing his short, black hair. “I suppose someone like me needs to loosen up once in a while. I needed a good laugh anyway.” He slips his hat back on and looks at Demon, who seems shocked by the entire thing. “Plus, you didn't exactly get out unscathed.”

Demon hums questionably until she looks over her shoulder, discovering most of her back was coated by the colorful dust. She shakes her head and also discovers her hair had caught some of the dust as well. She flusters a bright red as she begins to laugh as well. “Yeah...I-I got you pretty good, didn't I?” She states, thinking if Colonel was not angry that she might as well own the fiasco as her own act.

“Yeah, I can see now why everyone calls you the clown around here.” Colonel sighs. “But shall we get cleaned up before we do any sort of talking?”

Demon nods and the two casually walk into the room, leaving everyone in the hall shocked by the lack of anger in the whole reaction until Demon pops her head out into the hallway, looking directly at Haley with a sharp, green eye and a fanged grin. “Thanks, buddy!” she yells before popping back into her room, leaving Haley to explain what exactly the girl meant.

“Dr. Cain is _not_ going to be happy about this.” Haley thinks to herself as she looks at the mess of rainbow powder in front of Demon's room. “Especially when he finds out who got caught in the cross hairs instead. I'm going to be in _so_ much trouble.”


	3. Shakespearean Verses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demon was never one to be knowledgeable in culture but when she hears her partner recite a sonnet to her own lover, she decides to learn and asks assistance from Iris, the young sister of her close friend and crush, to learn a sonnet and impress her long time crush. Who knew such simple words could bring about such good fortune?

Demon sighs as she settles in one of the trees in the large forest outside of Abel City, trying her best to enjoy the spring day without the noises of the city ruining it. She managed to find a large tree in an open area and climbed up to the sturdiest branch she could find. She was never a big fan of nature but she could tolerate it in order to get away from the base and the two new love birds of the Hunters.

Some Hunter officers that lived outside the base had visited them a few months back and Haley, her partner and best friend, had fallen head over heels for one of the boys. Barely a week passed before the two were officially together and the blonde could not have been happier. Demon was happy for her too since the new boyfriend would help keep the blonde out of Demon's hair but she also felt a little bit jealous. She hated how Haley could hook up with guys she liked so easily yet she could hardly be around her own crush without sounding like an idiot. The few times they did interact and did not have anything in specific to talk about, Demon would stutter and stammer like a nervous schoolgirl and it drove her crazy. She wished that she could speak to her own crush with half the finesse that Haley seemed to have. When she was not around him, she could speak freely and perfectly but he always made some part of her brain glitch and she could not speak properly for hours after he left.

Demon is on the verge of falling asleep in her tree when she hears the familiar giggles of her partner approach. With a quiet huff, she glances over the edge of her branch and notices Haley run under the tree, being followed by her neko boyfriend.

“Great, even outside the city I can't get away from these two.” Demon grumbles in the back of her mind. “It's like the fates are tormenting me with their lovey dovey cuteness. Dammit.”

“Finally, some peace away from the chaos.” Haley sighs, taking a seat at the base of the tree where Demon lingers a dozen feet above her. “I know the base is usually chaotic anyway but your brothers don't make it any better, Darky.”

“I guess they can get a bit out of control.” Dark chuckles then finds Haley shooting him one of her that's-an-understatement looks. “But at least D provided enough of a distraction for us to slip out of the base without your dad knowing.”

“Yeah, I suppose D is good for some things when it comes to his bullheadedness.” Haley states then begins to giggle. “I don't think I've seen my father so close to wanting to beat someone until D started up his antics. It's kinda funny to see my usually calm, collected father on the verge of opening a can of whoop-ass on someone.” The two laugh loudly as Dark settles beside Haley, wrapping an arm around her as the blonde lets her head rest on the redhead neko's shoulder.

“If you think he's funny now, you should have seen him before you came along, when my brothers and I were still cadets.” Dark comments. “He wasn't as patient with D back then and he actually had to physically drag him to training a handful of times. I can still see D pouting like a toddler while Zero is carrying him on his shoulder to the training room.”

“Oh god, that sounds like my father alright.” Haley chuckles. “I remember, when I first started my cadet training, he would have to persuade me to come to training even if I absolutely refused to do so.” She nervously laughs as she scratches her head. “Guess I was a bit of a brat back then myself but I eventually grew out of it. Kinda had to after Dr. Cain passed away and Signas stepped up to take command. Had to make a good first impression to my new commander after all.”

“Understandable,” Dark states with a shrug as Haley slips off the khaki satchel she was carrying and begins to dig into it. “Whatcha looking for?”

“I figured that since we finally have some peace and quiet, I can actually read without being interrupted or getting a headache.” Haley explains, pulling out a small, leather book and a red eyeglasses case. “You don't mind, do you?”

“Not at all,” Dark chuckles, watching as Haley opens the glasses case then slips on the dark blue glasses within it. “Besides, you look cuter with those things one.”

Haley giggles quietly as she slips the glasses case into the satchel then sits back and opens the book, giggling again when the neko pecks her on the cheek. She then begins to read one of the passages in the book aloud, whether on purpose or not Demon is not sure but knowing Haley, it most than likely is not. The only thing that truly keeps the white-haired girl's attention at this point is the language of the passage Haley is reading:

“Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate:/Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,/And summer's lease hath all too short a date:/Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,/And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;/And every fair from fair sometimes declines,/By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;/But thy eternal summer shall not fade/Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;/Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade/When in eternal lines to time thou growest:/So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,/So long lives this and this gives life to thee.”

“What are you going on about?” Dark chuckles, causing Haley to jump and fluster.

“Um, s-sorry.” Haley stutters, her cheeks as bright red as her shirt. “I didn't realize I was reading aloud.”

“It's alright, it's was nice actually.” Dark reassures. “But what was that entire thing about?”

“It's a Shakespeare sonnet, one of hundreds that he wrote in his time. That's all this book is full of.” Haley explains. “But this one is one of my favorite ones from his early career. He's describing the beauty of a close friend and explains that as long as there are people to read the sonnet, the friend will live on long after his demise. It's really sweet and shows how close two friends can really be.” She sighs and nuzzles against Dark. “And it kind of reminds me of the two of us. Of how close we became as friends before we started dating and how close we remain still.” Dark chuckles softly and pulls Haley closer to him as the blonde lays her head on his shoulder and continues reading.

“Shakespeare?” Demon murmurs in her own thoughts. “Where have I heard that name before?” She ponders for a few moments until she recalls exactly who she heard that name from-Iris. “Maybe she can enlighten me a bit on this guy. Sounds too sappy for me but it'd be nice to know for future reference.” She quietly slinks to a nearby tree and drops down behind it then takes off back to the Hunter base, hoping Iris would be there to visit today with her brother.

After a brief run, Demon finds herself stumbling into the Hunter base, leaning against a wall near the entrance to catch her breath. She looks up after a few minutes to note her surroundings and notices a familiar figure following a red Hunter Demon knows all too well.

“Alright, Demon, keep your cool. Try to act natural.” Demon murmurs to herself, pushing off the wall and straightening herself before approaching the duo with her usual demeanor though anxiety gnaws at the back of her mind.

“Demon, figured I'd find you wandering about.” Zero chuckles when he notices Demon approaching. “Have you seen Haley? I've been looking for her all morning but I can't seem to track her down.”

“I'm not sure exactly where she it at this point but I think I saw her walk out with Dark a little earlier, something about getting away from the chaos of the boys this morning.” Demon states with a shrug.

“Great, she left the base without informing anyone.” Zero sighs as he squeezes the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “She knows I hate the idea of her just wandering off like that.”

“I'm sure she's okay, Zero.” Iris reassures, gently pushing Zero's hand from his face. “She's a big girl and she's in safe hands with Dark. You have no need to worry.”

“I suppose so.” Zero murmurs. “Still bothers me though.”

“Chill, Zero. She's not ten-years-old anymore.” Demon chuckles. “You know yourself that she can defend herself pretty well. She nearly kicked your ass in training last time, remember?” Zero groans under his breath as the two girls giggle and snicker. “But other than that, I've actually approached with some intent. I need to speak with Iris.”

“What about?” Iris asks, still giggling under her breath.

“We'll get to that here in a bit. You wanna walk with me through the city?” Demon offers. “I need some fresh air after this morning's drama fest.”

“Sure, Demon.” Iris giggles then looks around quickly before exchanging a quick kiss with Zero then running off with Demon out of the base.

The two slow down at the end of the block and Demon snickers as the two cross the street. “And how long has _that_ been going on?” She asks.

“Almost two months,” Iris confesses “I mean, he's a very sweet man and the fact he raised a human daughter on his own certainly shows he's much more caring than he lets on.”

“You don't know the half of it.” Demon grumbles. “Does Colonel know about you two?”

“Um...not really.” Iris murmurs. “He's too protective over me most days, so I doubt he would be very accepting of me being in a relationship to begin with.” Demon chuckles as she rolls her eyes, knowing the fact to be too true herself.

Colonel was certainly protective of the ones he cared about, she saw examples of it many times when Colonel would visit with Iris almost always by his side. She could swear that Colonel was a bit protective of her during her stay at the Repliforce base. He escorted her almost everywhere she went, was constantly checking on her condition even after she got on her feet, and was especially protective when she was around some of the high-ranking officers of Repliforce. She always noticed something in his eyes whenever she was talking to one of his officers across the room from him or in the halls of the base as they would pass him, a glint of something she could not identify. It was not anger but it was a bit more than irritation. Demon almost believed he was jealous but immediately smacked herself at the murmur of the assumption. She did have feelings for him, that she could never deny, but there was no way he felt the same way about her. No chance in hell, heaven, or anywhere in between.

“You won't tell him, right?” Iris's worried inquiry shatters Demon's train of thought, luring her to glance at the girl as she smiles her signature, fanged grin.

“'Course not, what do you take me for, a snitch?” Demon chuckles. “If I were like that, I wouldn't be half the girl I am today. Am I right?”

“I suppose so,” Iris quietly giggles “but what was it that you wanted to speak of? You never usually isolate anyone to talk to them, so it has to be something important.”

“Well, I wouldn't say so myself but I suppose it is of some importance to me.” Demon states. “Let's just say I kinda lied earlier.”

“What do you mean?” Iris asks.

“Let me explain.” Demon sighs, brushing her bangs aside as she continues. “I slipped out of the base and went to the forest to get away from the drama D was stirring this morning. I was fine until Haley and her little neko came along. I figured as long as I stayed quiet they wouldn't notice me. They didn't but Haley read something written by a guy you've talked about before and I need to figure out a few things.”

“Alright, do you know the writer's name?” Iris inquires.

“Something weird, I can't recall too well but I remember you're big into some play he wrote.” Demon states.

“He was a playwright, hm? Well, there are plenty of them I like. Do you know the name of the play?”

“I kinda remember it. Some kind of comedy I think.”

“Um...there aren't many comedic plays I like. There's a handful I adore by a few certain playwrights but the only one that really comes to mind that I was big into is Twelfth Night.”

“That was it!” Demon blurts.

“Well, that was easy.” Iris chuckles. “So it was something written by Shakespeare. Was it a play or an excerpt from one?”

“Not really, she said it was something called a soo-net or something like that.” Demon murmurs.

“A sonnet? Aw, how sweet!” Iris coos. “Shakespeare's sonnets have always been the topic of romance from the Renaissance era. Do you know which one?”

“She didn't mention a name for it but that doesn't matter right now.” Demon states. “I was wondering...well actually, I was hoping you...what I mean is...”

“Just say it, Demon.” Iris chuckles, noticing the other's nervous stutter. “There will be no judgment on my end if you're asking for help or advice.”

Demon anxiously gnaws on her lower lips before blatantly and quickly blurting out. “Could you help me learn a sonnet so I can impress your brother?” She immediately covers her mouth as her cheeks burn a bright red. She timidly looks up as Iris giggles softly.

“I guess I can say that I saw this coming.” Iris sighs. “From how you've acted around my brother since you two met, I guess it was more than obvious that you had feelings for him.” Demon groans as her gaze falls to the ground in shame. Was her crush really that obvious to everyone else? “But I'm willing to help out.” Demon sharply looks up again at the comment. “Besides, I think my brother has a bit of a crush on you too.”

“R-really?” Demon stutters.

“Well, I can't be too sure but he certainly seems to like you a lot better than some of the other non-reploids he knows, so it's a possibility.” Iris states.

“That's better than nothing, I guess.” Demon murmurs.

“I'll stop by your room later today and we can look for a sonnet so you can start memorizing it.” Iris explains. “Then, whenever brother and I visit, we can practice it so you can perform it when the time it right.”

“P-preform it?” Demon stammers.

“Of course, a sonnet is at it's best when well-practiced and performed for the audience.” Iris elaborates. “You're not nervous, are you?”

“I'd be lying if I said I wasn't” Demon murmurs “but if I have to risk embarrassing myself in front of the comrades in order to pull this off, that's a risk I'm willing to take.”

“Alright,” Iris giggles. “Let's get back to the base then. I'm sure Haley and Dark are back by now, so you can borrow whatever Haley was reading the sonnet from.”

Over the next month, after picking out a sonnet to perform, Demon invested hours between training and missions to memorizing and performing it, perfecting it the more she put into it. By the end of the month, after practicing in front of Iris one last time, both agreed she was ready to take the final step and Demon knew the right time to do it. Later that day, Iris met up with Demon in the main corridor just before the afternoon training session was let out.

“Are you sure about this?” Iris asks as she fixes Demon's hair into a high ponytail. “You don't have to perform it in front of so many people if you aren't comfortable with this?”

“I wasn't very comfortable with the fact that I may look like a dork to your brother doing this but I have to try something to show I'm not a completely, blubbering idiot when I'm around him.” Demon explains. “I have to do this. If not for Colonel, then at least to prove to myself that my brain doesn't completely melt when I'm around him.”

“If you say so.” Iris murmurs. She peeks around the corner when she hears conversation down the hall, spotting a group of Hunters walking from the training room with Colonel among them. “Alright, there he is. Good luck, Demon.”

Demon nods and takes a deep breath as she walks around the corner to the main hall, no hesitation in her movement as she quickly approaches the group of Hunters, only recognizing a few faces in the group, including Haley and Zero.

“Don't chicken out, Demon. You're going to do this or you'll beat yourself up for not doing it for the rest of your miserable, eternal life.” She mutters in the back of her mind as she stops before the group, having caught the attention of everyone in the group.

“Hey Demon, you just missed training.” Haley chuckles. “Didn't you say you weren't going to skip training for the next month?”

“I have my reasons and I'll explain them later.” Demon quickly states. “I need to do this before I lose the nerve to.”

“What are you talking about?” Haley asks then notices Demon anxious gaze and follows it to Colonel then back. “Demon?”

Demon takes a deep breath before she begins.

“To me, fair friend, you can never be old,/For as you were when first your eye I ey'd,/Such seems your beauty still. Three winters cold,/Have from forests shook three summers' pride,/Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turn'd,/In process of the seasons have I seen,/Three Aprils perfumes in three hot Junes burn'd,/Since first I saw you fresh, which yet are green.” She slowly approaches Colonel, trying to focus on her words as her eyes lock with his. “Ah! Yet doth beauty like a dial-hand,/Steal from his figure, and no pace perceiv'd;/So your sweet hue, which methinks still doth stand,/Hath motion, and mine eye may be deceiv'd:/For fear of which, hear this thou age unbred:/Ere you were born was beauty's summer dead.”

The hall falls silent for a moment as Demon sheepishly glances away, breaking eye contact with Colonel as she begins to fluster.

“That was Shakespeare.” Haley gasps. “Sonnet 18, one of the most romantic sonnets Shakespeare ever wrote. Demon, that was beautiful.” Demon flusters a brighter read in response. “Dare I ask who the audience of the sonnet is?”

Demon timidly looks up at Colonel, discovering the other flustering as well, then looks away as he kneels before her. “Demon...” She cautiously looks at the Repliforce officer at the murmur of her name, her red cheeks burning even brighter from the proximity of the other's deep blue eyes to her own. “This is certainly unexpected...especially from you.” She nervously chuckles as Colonel continues. “And I know you're not a big fan of the classics, so I know this was something you've planned for a while.” Demon shamefully groans under her breath and is then surprised by Colonel's large hand on her shoulder. “And I'm quite flattered by the effort you put into this.” She glances up at Colonel and is surprised to receive soft peck on her brow from the other, causing her entire face to flush a bright red. She then instinctively hugs the other, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her burning red face into the side of his neck as he returns the gesture.

Iris, who has been watching from around the corner, sighs happily under her breath then quietly giggles as she hurries back to her room, eager to hear the news she already knows to to be confirmed by her brother. To hear he finally found his heart's desire.


End file.
